Lost in Translation
by MadamBones
Summary: Chapter Four is up! Severus Snape and Hermione Granger-Weasley find each other unexpectantly in China five years after the Final Battle with you-know-who. An unlikely bond forms between them. But will it last? Based on the movie of the same name.
1. Arrival

**Lost in Translation**

**Chapter One – Arrival**

Severus Snape tapped his foot lightly to the beat of the pulsing train. He looked out the window and sighed. Why had he agreed to come here again? And to travel as a muggle, no less.

An announcer, first speaking in Chinese, followed by English, told the train that they would be arriving in ten minutes. Slowly, Severus gathered his things scattered around the compartment. Again he congratulated himself on his cleverness. When he had seen how crowded the train had been, he bewitched the compartment door to seem broken. An engineer tried to fix it, but muttered that he would work on it after the train's arrival.

Severus had enjoyed having the compartment to himself. Seeing that a train was the easiest way to get to Beijing. For all of his flying experience on a broom, Severus was deathly afraid of airplanes. There was something not right about a huge metal contraction flying through the air without magic.

No, he didn't trust airplanes. And so he took a train.

When the train came to a screeching halt, he stood up, taking the time to stretch his stiffened-up limbs. Adjusting his coat, he picked up his traveling case and walked out onto the platform.

It was bright out. Much brighter than Severus would have liked it. Putting his hand over his eyes, Severus searched for the greeters he was promised.

There they were, four in all. One was holding a sign bearing his name. He walked over to the group briskly and bowed.

"Hello," he said shortly, holding out his hand.

"Hello," a woman said. She was obviously trying to blend in, wearing muggle clothes. She had matched a pair of linen pants with a flannel plaid shirt.

"I am Professor Mai Xu. This is Professor Lee, Professor Chung and Professor Zheng" she said, pointing to the woman and two men standing next to her. "We are so pleased that you agreed to visit us."

"Thank you for inviting me," Severus said. He hated pleasantries like this. Now all he wanted to do was get to his hotel room and open up a bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey.

Two of the professors started speaking rapidly in Chinese. Severus just stared at them, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course," Professor Xu said to the two professors. "They would like to know if you were comfortable during your journey."

"It was fine, but I would like to rest," Severus admitted.

"Yes, yes, you must rest," Professor Xu said, as if she was cooing to a newborn. "Tomorrow, you will have a tour of the university and a dinner is planned. The next day, you will start the lectures with the students."

"That sounds wonderful," Severus deadpanned.

"Come, come. We get you to the hotel," Professor Xu said.

-------------------------

Hermione Granger-Weasley lay in her hotel bed half dressed, staring at the Beijing skyline. She and Ron had planned to go out, but not it looked like their plans might change.

"Of course we'll join you," Ron said eagerly into the telephone, which he had finally mastered after all of these years. "We'll be down in fifteen minutes."

Hermione sighed. She had been hoping for a night alone with her husband. Since they had arrived, they had barely seen each other.

"Ron," Hermione started.

"Come on, love, it will be fun," Ron said, sitting down at the edge of the bed. He rested his hand on her bottom, where only a sheer pair of underwear separated his hand from skin.

She rolled over and looked at Ron. "I thought we said that tonight would be just us," Hermione complained.

"I know, love. But it will be great to have a drink with some of the guys. These are really good people, Mione," Ron said eagerly.

"I'm sure they are," Hermione muttered. Recluctently, she stood up and went to her suitcase.

"Muggle clothes, Mione," Ron said. "We may end up going out into the city."

Hermione chose a pair of jeans with a light green sweater. "I'm ready," she said dully.

Ron looked her up and down. "Couldn't you make a little effort?" he asked sadly.

"I'd make an effort for you, Ron. Just you," Hermione said.

"I see," Ron said, crossing his arms. "Then let's go."

They stood far apart in the elevator, waiting to go down in silence. When had they grown so far apart? Hermione asked herself for the thousandth time.

Ron took her hand stiffly when they exited the elevator. They headed straight to the hotel bar. A group of Aurors-in-training welcomed Ron euthuesastically. Hermione stood on the edge of the group and let her eyes wander.

A sight so familiar, yet unexpected in this forgein placed was in front of her.

"Ron," she said, trying to attract her husband's attention. "Ron!" she said yet again.

Finally he looked over at her. "Yeah, love?" he said.

"That's Professor Snape!" she told him, pointing him out.

Ron looked over at the professor, who was sitting at the bar alone. He was smoking a cigarette, and nursing a drink in front of him. "No way," Ron said.

"I'm going to buy him a drink," Hermione said determinedly.

Ron groaned. "Mione, don't!" he pleaded. "Then we'd have to talk to him."

"He saved your life, Ron," Hermione snapped, letting her mind wander back to the final battle with Voldemort. Remembering that battle was something she rarely let herself do.

"That doesn't mean I want to talk to him. You know how he treated Harry," Ron said menacingly. Both Ron and Hermione froze when the name was said.

Harry.

Harry, who had given his life to save the wizarding world. It had been almost five years since that awful battle. Five years in a world without him.

"I'm sorry, love," Ron said quickly. "Let's just go. Even seeing Professor Snape here is making me upset."

Hermione nodded, her mouth dry. "Fine. Let's go," she said, taking Ron's hand and giving it a squeeze.

-------------------------

Severus Snape let out a deep sigh of relief when Granger and Weasley left the bar without saying anything to him. What in the world were they doing here?

He had heard they had gotten married. Didn't surprise him. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other back at Hogwarts. But now, now there seemed to be an obvious distance between them.

Severus took another long drag on his cigarette. "Awful habit," he said out loud, to no one in particular.

He looked around the hotel bar again. It wasn't his ideal, but then again, his ideal was the Hog's Head, so that wasn't saying much. This place was too clean. But then he reminded himself that the bar was meant for muggles.

A jazz pianist was playing in the corner. He didn't know muggle music, but the song had a calming tempo, slow, not upbeat at all. He closed his eyes and let himself listen to the music. Severus could finally feel himself relaxing from the hard day and a half of traveling.

Two hours later he let himself into his hotel room. He didn't understand half of the contraptions that were in the room. But there was a bed, and that was all that mattered. Slowly, he unbuttoned his frock, and rolled his shoulders. Undressing the rest of the way, he went into the tiny bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

Five minutes later, he slipped underneath the covers, ready for a good nights sleep.

He closed his eyes, and tried to release all emotion from his head. Even though he didn't need Occlumency in his life anymore, it was a habit that he had not been able to break.

Severus rolled over to his side, trying to get in a more comfortable position. Five minutes later, he tried sleeping on his stomach. Ten minutes later, he stood up and got a glass of water, cursing himself for not bringing a dreamless sleep potion with him on the journey.

He sat himself down at the small writing desk and took a sip of water. There was a writing pad and a muggle writing contraption. A pen? He couldn't be sure if that was the correct term or not. Gingerly, he lifted the pen and put the tip on the pad of paper. Quickly, he lifted it up and was surprised to see a small black mark where the pen had been. Slowly, he wrote his name on the paper. He looked at the small object. Not as smooth as a quill, but then again, one didn't need to have a bottle of ink handy to write.

He took another sip of water and let his eyes wander out over the Beijing skyline. So far the city kept surprising him. Yawning, he went back into bed. He laid there for another ten minutes. Nothing. He threw off the black t-shirt he had been wearing, and closed his eyes again.

A half an hour later, he knew he was in for a long night.

-------------------------

"Ron?" Hermione whispered. Ron was laying on his side, facing away from her. She could hear him lightly snoring.

"Ron?" she asked again. There was still no answer. Hermione sat herself up and brought her knees to her chest. She looked out of the window for the umpteenth time.

Slowly rocking herself, Hermione tried to let go of all of her thoughts. She should be happy. She and Ron just made love for the first time in almost five months. Hermione decided to look past the fact that Ron had been quite tipsy. At least they had been together. Hermione missed the closeness they shared when Ron was inside her.

The sex was nothing compared to when they first started having sex, sixth year. The excitement of finding a place and not getting caught. Knowing that they were doing something that would be looked down on...they couldn't get enough of each other back then.

Hermione stood up, and found a t-shirt to put over her naked form. She inhaled deeply, it was one of Ron's Chuddley Canon shirts. She checked again to make sure that Ron was asleep. His snoring loudly and rolling over confirmed that he was.

Quickly Hermione grabbed something from her purse and snuck out onto the balcony. Lighting a match, she took a deep drag of her secret vice. She had started smoking cigarettes shortly after the Final Battle. They were the only things that really relaxed her. As far as she knew, no one had any idea.

Taking the last drag of her cigarette, Hermione threw the butt over the balcony. Then came the routine of brushing her teeth and performing a breath-cleaning spell so Ron wouldn't know.

Hermione slipped back under the covers knowing that sleep was the furthest thing on her mind tonight.


	2. Acknowledgement

Chapter Two – Acknowledgement 

Severus Snape looked at himself in the mirror, trying to fix his collar. The blasted thing didn't seem to want to go straight. Cursing, Severus gave up. What did it matter how he looked. It wasn't as if any one cared.

He was in an extremely disagreeable mood this morning. And he knew he couldn't be in front of his hosts. Albus had spent so much time setting up these lectures for him. The old Headmaster said it would do Severus some good to see the world, to explore a bit. Severus still wasn't quite sure why he agreed to go.

And then what happens? He runs into old pupils his first night there. He hoped beyond hope that he wouldn't have to speak to them. He knew there was no lost love between them.

Severus cast an uneasy look at the contraption that made horribly loud noises this morning. He had just fallen asleep for the first time when a loud beeping noise could be heard. Severus had searched high and low for the noise. He finally found it in a small box that displayed the time. He cast _Silencio_ on the box, and it stopped the infernal noise.

He left the hotel room, making sure he had his key. Again, he wished he could have just stayed at the University. But he had been told that the housing section was very small, that there literally were no extra rooms for visitors.

Severus walked past the elevator. He would not be making the mistake of getting on that again. Over the past few years, he had discovered a phobia of small, enclosed spaces. When he stood on the elevator last night, his heart began racing, and he almost broke out into a cold sweat. He quickly found the stairs after that.

Professor Xu was waiting in the lobby with the other professors. She wore another interesting combination of muggle clothes, a dark green silk shirt with a pair of cargo pants today. Professor Xu looked to be around his own age, most likely her early forties. He caught himself thinking that she had a handsome face.

"Hello!" the professor said happily. "We give you grand tour of our University today!"

Severus nodded. "I'm looking forward to it," he said, trying to sound pleasant.

"Good, good," she said. "Professor Zheng would like to know if you had a good night's sleep?"

"It was fine," Severus lied. "Thank you for asking."

Professor Xu beamed at him. "Good!" she cried. "Lots of walking today. Much to learn!"

Hermione sat in bed, and watched her husband get dressed. He put on a pair of track pants and a T-shirt. She stared at the muscles in his back. Ron started filling out when he first played quidditch. Now that he was in Auror training, his body was beautiful. Hermione would find herself just staring at his form sometimes.

"So what are you going to do today?" Ron asked brightly.

"I'm not sure," Hermione said truthfully. "I might do some shopping. Start buying souvenirs for everyone back home."

Ron sat at the edge of her bed. "Well, whatever you do, try to have some fun. You're in China, for Merlin's sake. Not just anyone gets to be here," he said, grinning.

"I know I'm in China, you prat," Hermione said, as she hit him on the shoulder. "Maybe I'll go to the library. That would be fun."

"Loads," Ron said, rolling his eyes. He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. "Time to go, Mione."

Hermione put her hand on his cheek. "Be careful," she said softly. Auror training could be very dangerous at times.

"I always am," Ron told her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. One moment later, he was out the door.

Hermione sighed. Just what would she do today? This wasn't quite the trip she envisioned. She wished she spoke the language. That would make it much easier.

Determined to do something today, Hermione jumped out of bed and got dressed. Quickly she threw her hair up in a ponytail and was ready to go.

A few moments later, Hermione stepped off of the elevator and into the lobby. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Professor Snape greeting a group of Chinese wizards. Hermione decided that she was imagining it.

As she stepped onto the crowded Beijing street, a shiver of fear went down her spine. She had worked so hard to get rid of her fear of large crowds, but it still always came back. Memories started to come forth, but Hermione pushed them aside. She didn't want to remember.

Quickly, Hermione made the decision to go to the University. Beijing had the reputation of having one of the largest libraries in the wizarding world. Hermione felt the familiar feeling she always got when she was going to learn something new. She let the happy feeling wash over her, and quickly started walking.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione found herself staring at the library in awe. It was the most gorgeous library she had ever seen. Beautiful vaulted ceilings and statues of dragons were all around. The bookcases went all the way to the top. Hermione remembered hearing a rumor about the library. That one could spend their entire lifetime reading all the books in here, and still not discover all of its secrets. Hermione just knew that had to be true.

Hermione quickly went to the information desk. "Excuse me?" she asked politely to the woman behind the desk.

The woman looked at her and shook her head, pointing to her mouth. Hermione took that as a sign that she didn't speak English. The woman then held up one finger, and hurriedly walked away. Hermione hoped that meant she was getting someone to help.

Five minutes the woman was back, accompanied by a male librarian.

"I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Hermione said slowly. "Where's your section on Healing?"

"Heathens?" the man asked, sounding confused.

Hermione shook her head. "Healing. Medicine for the sick."

"Medicine!" the man said triumphantly. "Follow me."

Hermione did as she was told. He took her to a large room. Then he pointed to a spiral staircase. "Up there."

"Thank you," Hermione said, bowing slightly. She started walking up the stairs and was dismayed that every step squeaked loudly. Hermione truly believed that libraries needed quiet. She hated that she was making a racquet.

Finally she found the section she needed. Gazing happily at all her selections, she choose a few and sat down to do some reading.

Severus Snape looked without pleasure at the small Potions lab. 'This was it?' He grunted to himself. His lectures were supposed to have at least three hundred students each. The lab would have to be magically enlarged a great deal.

"May I see your supply cupboards?" he asked, trying his hardest to seem polite.

"Cup?" Professor Xu said, sounding confused. She then pointed towards some shelves that contained small cauldrons and beakers.

Severus shook his head. "Supply cabinets, for storage," he said with a bit of a sneer in his voice.

"Storage," Professor Xu said smiling. "Follow me."

Severus complied and went into a small room. Quickly, Severus started opening the different cupboards and looked around. He had sent them a detailed list of ingredient that he would need for the lectures months ago. He wanted to make sure they had them.

Luckily, they were all organized and ready for tomorrow. Professor Xu ushered him out of the room. Then there was a tour of the quidditch pitch, which Severus could care less about. The Greenhouses were interesting. He knew that Professor Sprout would love to have at least a couple of cuttings from their stock.

Last, but not least, Professor Xu brought him to the library, which was one of the most famous in the wizarding world.

Severus made a note to himself to ask if he could spend some time here later on. He knew he could find plenty of interesting material here. He found himself lingering by their restricted section, which had a great deal of books about the Dark Arts.

He stopped suddenly when he saw Hermione Granger curled up in an overstuffed chair, reading. There must have been ten books at her feet.

Professor Xu chose that moment to call his name, and Granger looked up instantly. Their eyes met.

Granger gave him a courteous nod, and then went back to her book. Severus turned around quickly and went to find his host.

Ron had one hand on Hermione's knee and another holding his drink. Hermione wasn't even trying to look interested in the conversation Ron was having with his fellow trainees. Inside, she was fuming. Why had he bothered asking her to go with him if he was just going to hang out with his new friends?

"Isn't that right, Hermione?" Ron asked, laughing.

That woke Hermione up from her reverie. She smiled. "That's right," she said, hoping she sounded cheerful. She didn't have the slightest clue with what she just agreed. But apparently, she must have said the right thing, because the crowd of Aurors-in-Training all started laughing.

Hermione let herself get lost in her thoughts again. She started people watching, and took a deep breath when Professor Snape came scowling through the door.

She watched with interest as he sat down and the bar and caught the bartender's attention. He looked more casual than he did the night before. Then it dawned on her. He was wearing muggle clothes. Hermione realized that she had never seen her former professor in anything but wizard's clothes.

He was wearing a pair of black slacks with a dark green dress shirt. The sleeves were rolled up. What Hermione found most interesting was his hair. It was tied back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Hermione nudged Ron and pointed out the professor to him. "He's here again?" Ron hissed.

"I guess so," Hermione said quietly. "Small world."

The conversation at Hermione's table lasted another fifteen minutes. The group then started to settle the bill.

Hermione decided she needed to at least acknowledge that Professor Snape was here. No matter what Ron thought, the man did save his life. Hermione flagged down a near by waitress and told her to send the man at the bar a Jack Daniels. The waitress agreed.

The drink arrived just as the group started standing up from the table. Professor Snape turned around and caught Hermione's eye. He lifted his drink in a silent toast and nodded. He then turned around and took a drag from his cigarette.


	3. Aloofness

**Chapter Three – Aloofness**

Hermione reached her hand over to Ron's side of the bed, and to her surprise, it was empty. Still feeling groggy, Hermione sat up slowly.

"Ron?" she asked softly. She listened, and heard the shower running. Hermione curled back up into a ball and drifted back into sleep.

Then someone was shaking her shoulders. "Mione?" Ron asked.

Hermione rubber her eyes and looked at Ron, who was sitting next to her. He was already dressed in his training robes.

"Mmm," Hermione moaned, and leaned on her husband's shoulder. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning," Ron whispered in her hair.

Hermione flopped back down on her back. "Then why in the world are we up?"

"I forgot to tell you something last night," Ron said guiltily.

She sighed, and sat back up. "What?" she asked simply.

"We're going on a retreat," Ron said excitedly. "We're going up to Mongolia for five days."

Hermione brought her knees up to her chest. "No spouses, I suppose."

"I'm sorry, love," Ron said, stroking her cheek. "I should have told you last night."

"That's fine, Ron," Hermione said. "I know you can be forgetful."

Ron bit his lip, a sign Hermione knew well. That meant he was trying to decide if he wanted to say something or keep quiet.

"I was thinking, love. Would you like to go back to England?" Ron asked. "I'm not going to be here, and we're leaving two days after I get back."

Hermione thought about that. It would be nice to sleep in her own bed. She might actually be able to sleep. She desperately needed to get a good night's sleep. But at the same time, she may never make it back to China.

"Say something, Mione Mine," Ron said.

She looked up quickly, into his eyes. During their years together at Hogwarts, Ron started calling her "Mione Mine." He hadn't called her that in years.

"I think I'd like to stay here," Hermione said finally. "There's still so much that I'd like to see."

Ron looked a little taken aback. "If you're sure…"

Hermione thought of the Imperial Palace and the Great Wall of China, with it's secret door that only wizards could open. If Ron was leaving for that long, she could possibly stay over night. "I'll stay."

"Right then," Ron said. He gave Hermione a quick kiss and jumped off of the bed. "I'll see you in five days, love."

"Be careful!" Hermione shouted after him.

Ron turned around and grinned. "I always am!" he said, smiling. Then he turned around quickly and left the room.

Hermione hugged her knees, then stood up to have a cigarette.

-------------------------

"Everyone here!" Professor Xu said excitedly. "We are ready for the lecture."

Severus nodded, and took a deep breath. He tried not to admit it to himself, but he was nervous. Lecturing in front of Hogwarts students were one thing, but lecturing to college students who would know their potions work was different.

"May I meet the translator?" Severus asked. There were a few translations he wanted to go over.

"She's already in lecture hall!" Professor Xu said brightly. "Wait here. I will introduce you."

He nodded and walked towards the door, adjusting his collar. Glancing down at the papers in front of him, he decided he was ready as he would ever be.

He tried to listen to the introduction but it was spoken in rapid Chinese. He heard his name, and wondered if that was his queue. Severus took two steps, and realized the professor wasn't done speaking yet.

Severus stopped and waited. Finally, there was a definite pause in the professor's speech. He stepped out onto the lecture floor and settled himself behind the podium.

"Good morning," he said briskly. "I am Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding in Britain. I have –"

The translator cut him off. She spoke quickly. It took Severus a moment to realize she was done.

"I have been at Hogwarts for twenty-two years, teaching potions the entire time. Today –"

Again, she started speaking without warning. Severus held onto the podium and took a deep breath. He hated being interrupted.

"Today we will be working on a restorative potion to disable the effects of prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse." Severus paused, giving the translator a moment to do her job. However, she did not pick up the cue, and stayed silent.

"This is a potion of my own design. It was tested successfully during the Great Battle against Lord Voldemort," Severus said. He shuddered as he said the name. Five years, he had been free, finally a man of his own will, instead of a puppet, and Voldemort's name still made Severus fearful.

As the translator started speaking, Severus thought back to the potion he never expected to test in battle. A picture of Neville Longbottom, twitching violently on the ground came into his mind. Bella Lestrange had cursed him for a good twenty minutes before she was killed. Severus had run to the boy's side, and saw that he would meet the same fate as his parents.

However, once the war was over, Severus was able to perfect the potion, a potion that he had been working on for years. The potion worked on Neville, and he regained his sanity. Everyone was hoping that it would work for his parents as well, but it was much too late for them.

The translator coughed discreetly, causing Severus to snap back to attention. "Please take out the instructions that should have been given to you when you came in…"

-------------------------

Hermione walked down the Huang District, hugging her midsection for warmth. The Huang District was the Chinese version of Diagon Alley. She had a list of things she would like to buy today. And then she wanted to go the wizarding hospital.

She had been an employee of the Ministry of Magic, in the Apparation Test Center, as a trainer, since she graduated Hogwarts. Hermione knew full well that many people were disappointed that the 'girl wonder' of Hogwarts hadn't gone out and gotten a more prestigious job.

But she was simply biding her time. After the Final Battle, after losing Harry, finding the perfect career didn't seem as important anymore. In typical Hermione fashion, she researched every possible career available to her with her skills. She had recently settled on becoming a Healer.

Chinese Healing methods were famous all over the world. Hermione wanted to soak up as much information as she could during this trip. She was pleased that she was so excited to learn. That drive had disappeared for a while.

A few hours later, her arms were full of packages. She had found souvenirs for both hers and Ron's family. A dress in the window of a robe shop caught her eye. It had been five years since Hermione had worn a dress, due to the large, ugly scar on her left leg that she had received during the Final Battle. She didn't even wear a dress for her wedding.

But this dress was different. It looked like it would fall mid-calf, which would cover up the scar. The dress was made of a lovely looking light blue silk, with a high collar. Hermione bit her lower lip, trying to decide if she wanted to try it on.

Finally, the dress won out, and Hermione went into the shop. After a few attempts of trying to make the cashier understand what she wanted, a different clerk came out from the back room. Luckily, she spoke a little English, and Hermione was given the dress to try on.

She was shown the small fitting room. Hermione forced herself to take a deep breath, and not feel scared by the enclosed space. Quickly, she shed her clothes, and tried on the light blue dress.

It was a little in the behind, but other than that, it fit well. Hermione turned and tried to get a better look. She smiled, realizing that she felt pretty for the first time in a long time.

She stared at herself for almost five minutes. Without thinking, she stuck out her belly, imagining herself with a baby. Ron had started talking about starting a family over the last few months. And every time, Hermione had to bite back the words, "You need to have sex to have a baby." Hermione was practical; she knew it was just as much her fault that they rarely slept together anymore. She stopped reaching for him a while ago.

In a way, she'd like to have a baby, just to end Molly Weasley's constant hints and speculations. "Hermione doesn't feel well? Could it be the oldest reason in the book?" "I wonder when I'll have another grandchild?"

But Hermione wasn't ready for a child, even if Ron thought he was. A child would be a shrine to her and Ron's relationship. A shrine she didn't know she wanted to build.

-------------------------

Snape left the lecture hall in a huff. It had not gone nearly as well as he had hoped. The students that understood English had done fine. Their potions turned out very well. However, the students who had been listening to the translator did very shoddy. One even managed a contained explosion in her cauldron. Severus had visions of Neville Longbottom in class all over again.

"Professor Snape!" a voice called out behind him. Severus stopped and sighed. All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel and have a drink.

He slowly turned around and saw that it was Professor Xu that was calling him. "Yes, Professor?" he asked.

"Very good lecture," she said breathlessly. He wondered if she had ran to catch up with him.

"Thank you," he said with a nod of his head.

"Important work. My brother was hit with that curse," Professor Xu said softly. "Not hard enough to do big damage, but his memory not so good now."

"How was he hit with that?" Severus asked. He regretted it immediately. Severus hoped that Professor Xu wouldn't take that as an invitation to start a long conversation.

"Fighting Xie Lu," Professor Xu told him. "Very bad Chinese wizard."

"What does his name mean?" Severus asked quietly.

"Rough translation is 'Evil Way.' He gave himself the name," Professor Xu said.

Somehow, in all his years fighting Voldemort, it never dawned on him that there were dark wizards all over the world, all wanting the same thing.

He tried to think of something to say when Professor Xu gave him a sad smile. "Bad memories," she said softly, patting his arm. "I see you tomorrow."

Fighting off memories from the Final Battle, Severus headed back to the hotel to find that drink.


	4. Reaching

**Chapter Four – Reaching**

Hermione Granger laid in the bath tub, listening to the soothing music she had put on. She again thought of how pleased she was to be muggle born. It was as if she had the best of both worlds. She knew how to work the T.V., the alarm clock and the hair dryer in their muggle hotel, while Ron just looked at the appliances and shook his head.

As she washed her body, her hands lingered on the scar below her left knee. She hadn't thought about how she received the scar in years, but seeing Professor Snape here in China was causing all sorts of unpleasant memories.

She bit her lip as the memory of Theodore Nott pushing her down on the floor and ripping her robe crossed her mind. Even though he didn't actually rape her; he was killed before penetration, the fact that he came so close haunted her.

Harry had been the one to save her. He cast a powerful fire charm. Unforunately, he had been hit with a wheezing jinx and the exact same time, causing his aim to be off. The charm hit Hermione right in the leg. But the fire caused Nott to jump up, and an Auror killed him instantly.

Hermione knew she would never forget the look of disappointment on Harry's face as she stood up in her torn robe. The great Hermione Granger proved fallible after all. She never had a chance to tell Harry that her wand had been broken; she had no way to defend herself until she took Nott's wand out of his dead hand. That had been the last time she ever saw Harry Potter alive.

"Stop it," Hermione said out loud. She didn't want to think about that anymore. Her thoughts turned to Ron, and how unhappy they both were. But both were unwilling to be the first to voice the issues.

She had hoped that they could use this trip almost as a second chance. They never did take a Honeymoon. They married two weeks after their Hogwarts graduation, much to the disapproval of her parents who thought they should wait a year or two at least. But at the time, neither Ron or Hermione wanted to wait. Harry, who should have been Ron's best man, was dead. So many of their friends had died just a month before in the Final Battle.

And they were alive. Both Ron and Hermione thought that waiting a second longer to start their lives together would seem ungrateful to all the sacrifices that had been made.

Of course, five years later, Hermione knew they should have waited, at least for a little bit. But survivor's guilt had overcome both of them at the time. causing the hasty wedding in the backyard of the Burrow.

Hermione forced herself to the present. She knew she had two choices tonight. She could wallow in self pity, or she could go downstairs to the bar and listen to the jazz combo that was advertised.

With a sigh, she stood up, dried herself off, and went to choose an outfit to go downstairs.

-

Severus Snape sat at the bar and took a drag of his cigarette. He would have to switch seats soon. There was a couple sitting next to him, touching either other far too much in a public place. Several times, he thought to say 'Get a room,' or better yet, take out his wand and distreectly throw some sparks their way when they touched again. But he stayed where he was, nursing his drink by himself.

Just when Severus thought he could tolerate the couple no longer, they stood up and left the bar. He sighed, grateful for not having to watch their display anymore. They reminded him of Granger and Weasley when they where back at Hogwarts. Speaking of, there hadn't been a sign of either one of them tonight, which was another thing to be grateful for.

He looked over to the end of the bar, and watched the jazz trio set up. For the looks of it, there was a pianist, a bass player and a vocalist. Severus couldn't help but notice that the vocalist was quite good looking.

Fifteen minutes they started playing. Nothing too loud or too flashy. The vocalist had a soothing voice, and Severus found himself taking a large sip of his brandy and feeling the tension in his shoulders begin to ease.

For almost an hour, Severus sat there, just listening to the music. He didn't even allow himself to think. He simply listened.

But then he got a shock. Hermione Granger entered the bar by herself. She was wearing an oversized sweater and an ill-fitted pair of jeans. She sat down near the band and wrapped her arms around her body. Severus couldn't help but notice how unhappy she looked. He briefly wondered where Weasley was.

Granger made no notice of him, so Severus stayed where he was and enjoyed the music. After a while, Granger started looking around the bar, and their eyes locked. Severus nodded his head, trying not to encourage her. He preferred to be by himself tonight.

She looked down and played with the label she had torn off of her beer bottle. Severus could see her struggling with herself. Then, much to Severus' disappointment, she stood up, picked up her beer bottle and walked over towards him.

Severus simply took another drag on his cigarette as she settled down on the barstool next to him. He would not be the one to start the conversation. She fumbled with her purse, and much to his surprise, took out a pack of cigarettes and a pack of matches.

Granger lit one quickly and inhaled deeply. "Filthy habit," she said after a minute. Severus nodded in agreement.

Together, they sat in silence, smoking, drinking and listening to the music. Severus realized that the companionable silence pleased him. But then Granger spoke.

"What brings you to China?" she said after finishing her beer. In one quick movement, she motioned that she wanted another drink to the bartender.

"Lecture," Severus said slowly, taking a puff of his cigarette. "You?"

"Ron's here for Auror training," she said quickly. "I'm just tagging along."

Severus nodded, not wanting to extend the conversation. The bartender placed the beer in front of Granger and before he could stop himself, Severus said, "Put that on my tab."

Granger folded her hands in her lap. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Just returning the favor," Severus told her, remembering that she had indeed bought him a drink the other night.

Granger nodded and took a long sip of the beer. Severus let his attention drift back to the music. Without realizing it, he tapped his forefinger on the bar in time with the music.

She re-crossed her legs and took out another cigarette. Granger opened the book of matches and saw that she had already used her last one. Severus reached into his pocket and brought out his own lighter.

"Here," he said, bringing the small flame up to the cigarette in her mouth. She puffed a few times, and the cigarette was lit.

After a deep breath, Granger turned to him and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Severus said briskly, hoping they wouldn't have to talk again. He wasn't a fool; he knew how much Granger and Weasley had hated him at Hogwarts. Severus remembered the Final Battle; how he was slightly indecisive when he had the chance to save Weasley's life. But in the heat of the moment, the hero in him came out, and he chose to do the right thing.

Granger started tearing off the label of her beer bottle, something which Severus found highly annoying for some reason. It seemed she had a ritual. The four corners were torn off first, followed by the rest of the label.

"How's Hogwarts?" Granger asked softly. Severus sighed. He had so hoped that Granger wouldn't be in the mood for a conversation.

"Thing's are fine. It's back to how it was before…" Severus trailed off, and cursed himself for bringing the Final Battle up. If Granger started talking about that, he knew he would simply get up and leave.

Granter seemed to realize that he didn't want to talk. "Good," she said simply and took another sip of her beer. Severus took a long swallow of his brandy.

They must have sat side by side in silence for almost an hour. Finally, Granger stood up and looked at him. Severus turned his head and matched her gaze.

"Good night," she said quietly.

Severus nodded and watched her walked out of the bar.

-

As soon as Hermione was out of the bar, she practically sprinted to the elevator. How had she just managed to spend almost two hours with Professor Snape? She couldn't quite believe it. And more, she enjoyed the silence that lay between them. Hermione had found herself glad when her attempts at conversation were silenced.

It had been a comfortable silence, so unlike her silences with Ron. Ron always seemed to get fidgety when they didn't have anything to say to each other. But not talking to Professor Snape right then…just felt right somehow.

Hermione let herself into her room quietly. She walked out onto the balcony and looked to the north, towards Mongolia. She briefly wondered what Ron was doing now. Was he thinking about her at all? Or was he so enamored with his new friends that they took up all of his thoughts?

The cool night air caused goose bumps to form on her arms. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, trying to get a bit of warmth. She awful tonight, she knew it. Her clothes didn't fit right, and she hadn't even bothered to brush her hair.

But maybe, she found herself thinking, maybe if they met tomorrow night, she would take some care.

If they met tomorrow night.


End file.
